Shipping and Navigation.

On December 31, 1902, the French mercantile navy consisted of 14,691 sailing vessels, of 668,693 tons, with crews 73,422, and 1,330 steamers of 548,921 tons, and crews numbering 14,602. Of the sailing vessels 130 of 11,653 tons were engaged in the European seas, and 376 of 422,664 tons in ocean navigation; of the steamers 233 of 192,047 tons were engaged in European seas, and 198 of 318,494 tons in ocean navigation. The rest were employed in the coasting trade, in port service, or in the fisheries.

In 1903, in the foreign trade, there entered at the ports of France 53,972 vessels of 38,305,232 tons (16,141 of 9,732,061 tons French), and cleared 50,818 of 33,923,620 tons (16,605 of 9,962,756 tons French). In 1901 and 1902 the navigation at the ports was as follows:

In 1903 there were in France 38,270 kilomètres of national roads.

Navigable rivers (1902), 8,826 kilomètres; actually navigated, 6,620 kilomètres; canals, 4,930 kilomètres; actually navigated, 4,849 kilomètres ; rivers navigable for rafts, 2,931 kilomètres.

The traffic on the rivers and canals, expressed in millions of metric tons carried one kilomètre, has been :

By a law of 1842, the construction of railways was left mainly to companies, superintended, and if necessary assisted, by the State; which now constructs lines which the companies work, and works on its own account one important State system. There are lines of local interest subventioned by the State or by the departments. The concessions granted to the six great companies expire at various dates from 1950 to 1960; the periods of State guarantee of four of them terminate at the end of 1914, and of the others in 1934 and 1935. In 1830 there were in France 24 miles of railway; in 1860, 4,000 miles; in 1890, 20,666 miles; in 1902, 23,938 miles, including 1,870 miles belonging to the State. There are, besides, 3,570 miles of railway of local interest. The length of line of general interest open for traffic, cost of construction, receipts, and working expenses have been :

On December 31, 1902, the length of tramways worked was 2,300 miles.

II. POSTS AND TELEGRAPHS.

In 1902, France had 11,282 post-offices. The postal receipts amounted to 282,475,164 francs; the expenditure (posts and telegraphs) in France, to 216,355,000 francs. The number of letters, &c., carried in 1902 was :

The total length of the telegraphic lines on January 1, 1903, was 93,000 miles, with 354,700 miles of wire. There were 13,830 telegraph offices, and in 1902 there were despatched 51,463,490 telegrams, of which 41,907,365 were internal, 6,443,660 international, 1,269,828 in transit, and 1,842,637 were official.

In 1902 there were in France 2,323 urban telephone systems with 13,400 miles of line and 239,470 miles of wire; number of conversations in 1902, 179,463,000. There were 3,474 inter-urban circuits with 27,490 miles of line, and 100,700 miles of wire; conversations in 1902, 9,660,696.

Money and Credit.

The total value of the coin minted in France from the commencement of the existing mints to the end of 1903, has been: Gold (1803-1903), 9,808,388,250 francs; silver, 5-franc pieces (1795-1878), 5,060, 606, 240 francs; fractional silver (1803-1903), 584,682,248 francs; bronze (1852-1903), 72,896,709 francs; nickel (1903), 4,000,000 francs. Total, 15,530,573,447 francs. Gold coin has been demonetised or re-coined to the amount of 273,690,310 francs; silver 5-franc pieces, to the amount of 99,942,700 francs; and fractional silver to the amount of 225,210,304; the total coinage left in circulation thus amounts to 14,931,730,133 francs. On October 15, 1903, the metallic and paper money in circulation, according to results of an inquiry made through the principal banks, amounted to

276,310,739 francs, of which the sum of 236,413,195 francs was in bank notes, 25,239,370 francs in gold coin, 10,009,000 francs in 5-franc pieces, 4,361,510 francs in fractional silver, and 287,663 francs in bronze.

The nominal value of the money coined in France during five years has been:

The statistics of private banking are too unsatisfactory to be given.

The private savings-banks numbered 547 (with 1,365 branch offices) on December 31, 1902; the number of depositors was 7,307,062, to the value of 3,283,013,420 francs, thus giving an average of 449 francs for each account. The postal savings-banks had December 31, 1902, 3,991,412 accounts, to the value of 1,106,752,955 francs, thus showing an average of 277 francs per account.

The Bank of France, founded in 1806, has the monopoly of emitting bank notes.

The situation of the bank on December 15, 1904, was :

Money, Weights, and Measures.

The Franc of 100 centimes is of the value of 94d. or 25 225 francs to the pound sterling.

Gold coins in common use are 20 and 10 franc pieces. The 20 franc gold piece weighs 6'4516 grammes 900 fine, and thus contains 5.80645 grammes of fine gold. Silver coins are 5, 2, 1, and half franc pieces and 20centime pieces. The 5-franc silver piece weighs 25 grammes 900 fine, and thus contains 22·5 grammes of fine silver. The franc piece weighs 5 grammes 835 fine, and contains 4 175 grammes of fine silver. Bronze coins are 10 and 5 centime pieces.

There is a double standard of value, gold and silver, the ratio being theoretically 15 to 1. Of silver coins, however, only 5-franc pieces are legal tender, and of these the free coinage has been suspended since 1876.

The present monetary convention between France, Belgium, Italy, Switzerland, and Greece is tacitly continued from year to year, but may be denounced by any of the contracting States, and, if denounced, will expire at the end of the year, which commences on January 1, following the denunciation. According to its terms, the five contracting States have their gold and silver coins respectively of the same fineness, weight, diameter, and current value, and the allowance for wear and tear in each case is the same. The coinage of 5-franc pieces, both gold and silver, is temporarily suspended, and the issue of subsidiary silver is, with certain exceptions for special reasons, limited to 7 francs per head of the population of each State (but 6 francs for Greece). Each Government, in its public offices, accepts payments in the silver 5-franc pieces of each of the others, and in subsidiary silver to the amount of 100 francs for each payment. Each State engages to exchange the excess of its issues over its receipts of subsidiary silver for gold or 5-franc silver pieces, and at the termination of the convention each is bound to resume also its 5-franc silver pieces, and to pay in gold a sum equal to the nominal value of the coin resumed. [But see also under Italy.] The following are the total issues of the five States, authorised by the convention of 1897 :-France, 394 millions of francs; Italy, 2324; Belgium, 46'8; Switzerland, 28; Greece, 15.

The monetary system of the Union has been adopted, either wholly or partially, in Spain, Rumania, Bulgaria, Servia, Russia, Finland, and many of the South American States.

Ambassador.-M. Paul Cambon.

Minister.-M. L. Geoffray.

Secretaries.-M. E. Daeschner, Comte de Manneville, M. de Seynes, and M. A. de Fleurian.

Attachés.-M. P. de Barante and the Count de Montholon.

Military Attaché.-Commandant Huguet.

Naval Attaché-Baron Mercier de Lostende.

Secretary-Archivist.-M. J. Knecht.

There are French Consuls at-London (C.G.), Cardiff, Dublin, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Liverpool, Manchester (V.C.), Newcastle, Southampton (V.C.), and other places.